Wednesday, June 17, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1970, future NBA big man Ronald "Popeye" Jones was born in Dresden. The Murray State legend won back-to-back OVC Player of the Year awards before playing 11 seasons in the NBA.

A Middle Tennessee woman was driving home on I-840 last week when a lightning bolt struck inches from her SUV, killing the engine and totaling the car. She walked away uninjured. Have you ever had a close call in a storm? ⛈️

Today's sponsor, Incogni, helps protect your privacy by removing personal information from data broker databases, reducing the risk of scam calls, phishing attempts, and identity theft before criminals can get their hands on your data.

Clerk Indicted on Federal Fraud Charges

Shelby County General Sessions Court Clerk Tami Sawyer was indicted Monday on six federal counts, including wire fraud, money laundering, and theft of public funds.

Prosecutors allege Sawyer embezzled more than $44,000 using county procurement cards and a credit card to cover personal expenses like bar tabs, Uber Eats orders, hotel stays, and payments to her own PayPal account.

Sawyer allegedly laundered some funds through a friend's PayPal account, who took a cut and returned the rest via CashApp. She pleaded not guilty and was released on her own recognizance.

If convicted on all counts, she faces up to 20 years in prison and $500,000 in fines. The Republican Party of Shelby County has called for the Democrat's immediate removal.

Nashville Racing the Clock for Super Bowl LXIV

Nashville's East Bank Development Authority says it is on a "very tight" 40-month deadline to finish a sweeping infrastructure overhaul around Nissan Stadium before Super Bowl LXIV.

The city's to-do list includes updates to roads and utilities, the construction of a new hotel, putting up the exterior of a new Tennessee Performing Arts Center, and finishing the Seigenthaler Bridge Connector, which links the East Bank and downtown.

Affordable housing is already under construction.

Officials say all work wraps by the end of 2029, though some construction halts near game time for security. East Bank Boulevard is the lone exception, as it breaks ground after the Super Bowl.

Tennessee Pearls Displayed in the Smithsonian

Tennessee's freshwater pearls are among more than 600 objects representing all 50 states in the Smithsonian's new From These Lands exhibition, which opens tomorrow to mark America's 250th anniversary.

The pearls, collected by the American Pearl Company in Nashville in 1994, are Tennessee's official state gem, produced by freshwater mussels once harvested statewide from the 1880s through World War I. Some Clinch River pearls even made it to Paris.

Dams and pollution ended the industry, but conservation efforts are quietly reviving mussel populations in East Tennessee rivers.

Other highlights include a rare blue gemstone from California and a Northern bobwhite collected by a young Theodore Roosevelt in New York.

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Unknown Number Calling? It’s Not Random

The BBC caught scam call center workers on hidden cameras as they laughed at the people they were tricking. One worker bragged about making $250k from victims. The disturbing truth? Scammers don’t pick phone numbers at random. They buy your data from brokers.

Once your data is out there, it’s not just calls. It’s phishing, impersonation, and identity theft. That’s why we recommend Incogni: They delete your info from the web, monitor and follow up automatically, and continue to erase data as new risks appear.

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➤ Statewide: Tennessee is sending $120 summer food payments to low-income families in 13 counties. State lawmakers are funding a full 700,000-child expansion of the federal program set for 2027. (More)

➤ Nashville: Mayor Freddie O'Connell signed an executive order directing city departments to protect residents from the "potential negative impacts" of large-scale data centers. (See Details)

➤ Nolensville: Local police launched the Blue Envelope Program, giving drivers with autism or other disabilities an easier way to communicate their diagnosis to officers during traffic stops. (More)

➤ Memphis: Elvis Presley's former high school is getting a second act after a new arts and technology school purchased the historic campus for $257,000. A $73 million renovation is planned. (More)

➤ Knoxville: Residents living along I-75 say noise has become unbearable since trees were removed last year, but federal highway rules are blocking a sound barrier unless new construction is planned. (More)

➤ Gatlinburg: Dollywood's Splash Country water park and Dollywood Resorts have gone cashless, accepting only cards and digital payments. Free Cash-to-Card kiosks are available on-site. (More)

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➤ Tennessee extended the contract of men's golf head coach Brennan Webb through 2031. Webb led the Vols to four NCAA Championship appearances across eight seasons in Knoxville. (More)

➤ Vanderbilt offered 2028 three-star quarterback Knox Kiffin this week, the son of LSU head coach Lane Kiffin. (More)

➤ Memphis football landed 6-foot-6, 288-pound offensive tackle Jonathan Toney this week, their fifth commitment in the 2027 recruiting class. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: World Cup | MLB | College World Series | WNBA

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➤ Nashville's Beer Permit Board is warning businesses that illegal gambling machines on their premises could trigger regulatory action and license revocation after a wave of complaints. (More)

➤ Four Tennessee cities landed in the top 75 of new "boomtown" rankings, which tracked housing, jobs, and GDP growth across more than 400 U.S. cities. (See Details)

➤ JBS USA will permanently close its Memphis meat processing plant on Aug. 14, eliminating 208 jobs at a facility that has operated on President's Island since 1987. (More)

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Use a VPN all the time
Buy a burner phone instead of a smartphone
Use a secure email service instead of Gmail or Yahoo
Delete your social media accounts and associated data

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➤ A woman's SUV was totaled after a lightning bolt struck inches from her vehicle on I-840 in Rutherford County. She walked away uninjured, and her insurance covered it. (More)

➤ The Chattanooga Zoo welcomed a rare black crested mangabey monkey. Only 11 U.S. zoos house the vulnerable species, and visitors can vote on his name through next Tuesday. (See Monkey)

➤ A Food City employee from Powell won the state's Best Bagger competition and earned $2,000 in scholarships. He is now headed to nationals in Las Vegas. (More)

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➤ "Impossible" Bone Density Improvements Linked to Overlooked Protein. Doctors are doing double-takes at recent DEXA scans showing unprecedented bone density improvements in women over 60 after adding this protein in their diet. The stunning results have doctors questioning if their equipment is malfunctioning—but the explanation lies in a revolutionary protein compound that provides what calcium supplements alone cannot. (Learn More)

The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes. Clicking the links will take you directly to these stories:

➤ Days before leaving office, the U.S. intelligence director released evidence of American-funded biolabs in over 30 countries. (Hear Details)

➤ SpaceX has leapfrogged major Wall Street giants to rank among the world's most valuable companies. (Hear Episode)

➤ An Arizona woman was clocked at 108 mph racing home to catch the latest episode of Love Island. (Listen Now)